John Matthews
WMAL.com
ANNAPOLIS — (WMAL) In the race for President, Martin O’Malley has been a pretty lonely candidate, languishing far behind his rivals for the Democratic party nomination. So he’s called back home to Maryland for some reinforcement.
Enter Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker, who’s been recruited to be O’Malley’s spin room representative after Sunday night’s Democratic debate in Charleston, South Carolina.
Baker is one of only a handful of elected officials from O’Malley’s home state to endorse the former governor. The two worked closely together during O’Malley’s time in Annapolis on some of Prince George’s biggest initiatives, including school construction dollars, public safety funds and economic development projects such as the MGM Casino at National Harbor.
In an interview with News Channel 8 on Wednesday, Baker touted O’Malley’s accomplishments. “Maryland is number one in education because of his work,” said Baker, who also pointed to O’Malley’s successful push to extend in-state college tuition rates to illegal immigrant students. “The Dream Act – he didn’t just talk about the Dream act, he got it passed,” he added.
O’Malley has failed to capture the imagination of voters, reaching only the low single digits in most polls, but Baker says he’s seen other candidates make big comebacks in the past.
“I remember getting on a campaign with a first-term senator who no one really knew, and he wass 30 points behind when I signed on, and all of my friends who worked on Capitol Hill thought I was nuts,” said Baker. “And the guy went on the be President.”
Copyright 2016 by WMAL.com. All Rights Reserved. (PHOTO: PG County Fire Dept.)
